Natural Law

Who created natural law?

St Thomas Aquinas

Who inspired natural law?

Aristotle

What type of argument is it?

Deontological argument- focused on the action, not the consequences of the action

What is Natural Law?

Inherent principles in human nature understand through reason

Telos

End goal or purpose

Eudamonia

A good or flourishing life where fulfiment and happiness is achieved (Aristotle’s idea)

Prime mover

An eternal, formless being outside of time and space (Aristotle’s idea)

Aquinas (1225-1274)

Studied at the university of naples

Died travelling

Reconcile faith and reason

Monk

Synderis principle

Do good and avoid evil

Innate capacity of the human mind to recognise basic moral principles

Good should be pursued

5 primary precepts (Aquinas)

Absolute and universal rules we must follow

1. Order

2. Worship

3. Educate

4. Preserve life

5. Reproduce

Also, Aquinas argues homosexuality is unnatural

Secondary precepts

Rules that follow the primary precepts

Specific rules

E.g ‘Preserve life’= ‘Do not kill’ as one of the conmandments

Naturalistic fallacy

The error of defining what is morally good based on natural or what exists

Doctrine of double effect

Actions with both good and bad effects that can be morally acceptable if the bad effect is not intended

Four tiers of law (Aquinas)

1. Eternal law- divine order governing the universe

2. Divine law- Lass revealed by God through scripture

3. Natural law- discovered through human reason, derived from eternal law

4. Human law- legalisation enhanced by humans, ideally based on natural law

Real and apparent goods

Real- things that genuinely fulfil human nature and lead to true happiness and moral well-being

These goods align with telos, reason and natural order

Apparent- things that seem good to a person but are not truly good in accordance with reason and moral truths

Jean Paul Satre (Agrees with telos)

Argues that the universe is inherently meaningless and purposeless

Objects have a fixed nature e.g a knife started as an idea, it is made for a purpose and must carry out it’s purpose

He believes that existence comes first and then we decide for outlives what our assented is (what we are for?)

Aristotle (Agrees with telos)

Natural law is ‘unchangeable’- everything had a purpose

‘Nature makes nothing without a purpose’

Karl Barth (Disagrees with MML)

Human reason can’t be used to make moral decisions

Believes that because of original sin, human reason and nature is damaged

William Paley (Disagress with NML)

The design of something can only be explained through the designer

Louis Pojman (Agaisnt DDE)

DDE has a lot of issues, there is a problem with how to describe an acts consequences

e.g can you redescribe antiquing in which the woman’s health is in danger as intending to improve the woman’s health